Department of Energy October 14, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Industry Advisory Board (IAB) to the International Energy Agency (IEA) will meet on October 21, 2014, at the headquarters of the IEA in Paris, France in connection with a joint meeting of the IEA's Standing Group on Emergency Questions (SEQ) and the IEA's Standing Group on the Oil Market (SOM) on the same day, and on October 22, 2014, in connection with a meeting of the SEQ on that day.

The Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA), as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, requires DOE to establish revised performance standards for the construction of new Federal buildings, including commercial buildings, multi-family high- rise residential buildings and low-rise residential buildings. On October 15, 2010, DOE issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) to establish regulations implementing the fossil fuel-generated energy provisions of the ECPA performance standards for Federal buildings. In response to the NOPR, DOE received a number of comments expressing concern and encouraging DOE to re-examine the proposed regulations. In response to these comments, DOE has identified additional areas for clarification and consideration that would benefit from further public comment. In this supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR), DOE responds to the comments received on the NOPR and identifies and seeks comment on additional approaches to the scope of the requirements in the context of major renovations, the potential use of renewable energy certificates for compliance, and a streamlined process for agencies to seek a downward adjustment from the required reduction levels, particularly for major renovations.